Government asks locals near Mt.Elgon to relocate following fresh Bududa landslides

Locals living near the slopes of Mountain Elgon to relocate to other areas for fear of being affected by mudslides that are expected to hit the area.

At least five people are suspected to have died after mudslides hit Bududa following a heavy downpour on Idd day left over 150 houses washed away and hundreds of others still missing.

In a press statement released on Wednesday, the Disaster Preparedness and Management Department in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM),  confirmed there were fresh landslides in Bududa and asked locals to take extra care.

“There are reports of displacement and destruction of property as well as missing persons. Search and rescue teams are on the ground and we pray that the missing are found alive,” reads in part the statement by Julius Mucunguzi, the advisor and Head of Communications at the Office of the Prime Minister.

According to Mucunguzi, a team from the Office of the Prime Minister has been sent on the ground to work with local authorities and other agencies to establish the facts to inform the next course of immediate action.

“In the meantime, people living on risky and dangerous slopes of Mountain Elgon continue to be advised to move away and seek shelter with friends and relatives in lower and safer grounds as the rains come.”

The Office of the Prime Minister adds that the resettling process of the first batch of survivors for the October 11, 2018 landslides in same area and other places in Bugisu sub region to Bulambuli is still ongoing.

“In the first phase, 101 houses have been built in Bulambuli out of a planned 900 houses. In total, over 100,000 people living precariously on the slopes of Mount Elgon are estimated to be at great danger and requiring relocation.”

The second phase of the construction of 140 houses is also underway.

The Uganda Red Cross spokesperson, Irene Nakasiita insists they are still assessing the situation in Bududa.

“We are still conducting an assessment and then we will get back to you with final figures,”Nakasiita told this website.

The latest mudslides are said to have affected a number of homes destroying livestock and crops.

Following a heavy downpour on October 11, mudslides hit Bukalasi Sub-County in Bududa District sweeping away an entire village, killing people and leaving several others homeless.

At least 20 people were then confirmed dead following the mudslides that swept village